—-Amaani's POV—-
We reached the inn near nighttime. It was time for Maghreb when we went inside the small brown house that barely had a few floors and rooms. The inn owner welcomed us with a big smile and Jaber commented it was because there were hardly any bookings during the festival. The locals would stay up the whole night at the fair, finding different entertainments to pass the time and keep the spirit of celebration alive.
Besides, the inn owner was familiar with traveling Nuristanis and liked to rent rooms to them because they were "quiet" and "non-destructive". He even guessed that we were probably running away from some important people but we were safe because he was only concerned about the money and good state of the rooms after we left.
We were given the far right room and the men stayed in the one across ours. Camari was shaking the whole time and felt very skeptical about the inn owner. She hadn't sat down and while Lexie and I chatted, she looked out the window with worried eyes.
"I can't believe we were able to escape. Bless Bayen's soul! If it wasn't for him, we would be part of a shady ritual and would be offered to the devil right now." Lexie exclaimed in relief, stretching her arms and falling back to the bed with a big smile.
"Don't be too grateful just yet. Sir Bayen looked really shocked to see me. What if he changed his mind after seeing that two girls of the temple were running away too?" Camari spoke with fear. She hadn't even taken off her formal attire and just sat by the window, trembling.
I pulled down my scarf and got comfortable just like Sumayya and Lexie. "Don't worry, Camari. Even if he did change his mind, he won't admit to the higher-ups that he assisted in your escape. They would punish him before anyone else." I tried to reason and it seemed to work slightly. She relaxed her shoulders and nodded. "Maybe you're right. It's just that I have never done something so rebellious in my whole life. It's starting to feel like the whole religious community has set out to look for me."
Lexie put a comforting hand on her shoulder before I could, still lying down with her brown locks spread on the bed. "Trust me, I can relate." I suddenly felt an electric shock down my arm and jumped. "Hasbun Allah!"
I looked to see Lexie was up too, sitting straight across me with the same expression on her face. "Ouch!"
"You felt that too?" I questioned, caressing my arm which was still frozen. She nodded with surprise, touching her arm. "It was a zap of current. Right when you and I both reached to touch Camari."
I looked at Camari and Sumayya for their input and both of them looked at us weirdly.
"You mean you felt a current at the same time? Maybe it was your clothes? Or this bed?" Camari hypothesized but I quickly shook my head at her. "I think it was because we thought the same thing at the same time. I felt this before once but not as strong as today."
We fell silent for a minute before Sumayya piped in. "I have a theory."
We whipped our heads to her like she hadn't spoken for ages. "Like twin telepathy. You guys share the same DNA and stuff, right? Usama told me about this weird mumbo jumbo and I think you may have a telepathic connection. I had cousins who were twins and they said they could guess what the other was thinking so it has to be stronger in you guys since you're practically the same person in two bodies."
Lexie slowly nodded. "Yeah, that sounds accurate."
In all this, Camari forgot about her stress and frowned in confusion. "Share the same DNA? What's this about?"
Lexie and I turned to her in union and shrugged. "It's a long story." We chorused.
....
Sufiyaan called us for Maghreb prayer in the men's room. Lexie and Camari decided to stay behind at first but entered the room mid-prayer out of curiosity. Jaber led the prayer and I suddenly lapsed back to the first time I heard his Quran recitation. It was like I fell in love with his voice again because the more he recited, the more my ears wanted to hear it in a loop.
I could go days listening to him recite Surah Anfaal which held accounts of the Battle of Badr in the Prophet's time. One of the hardest battles to have ever fought with only 313 Muslims and a huge army of 1000 disbelievers, ready to slay their own brothers and fathers. Despite the clear imbalance of power, Allah gave the Muslims victory over their enemies and it was the first-ever achievement of the repressed nation.
My heart told me that Jaber had deliberately decided to recite verses from this Surah to boost our morales, especially for Sumayya.
When the prayer ended, I quickly pinned my veil back on my face before the men turned around. We sat there for some minutes, reciting a few duas for our protection against the storm to come.
Once we were done, I looked at Lexie and Camari who had twinkling eyes and were intently staring at us. "That song was really beautiful. I didn't know you could sing, Jaber." Lexie complimented, smiling at him.
"Oh, it's not a song," Sufiyaan quickly corrected her but my eyes stayed on Jaber. He didn't reply and looked away to escape the two girls' fascinated faces. Involuntarily, his eyes landed on me and he quickly looked the other way again, in...nervousness?
Oh, Allah!
I had just realized.
He was feeling shy because of the compliments!
A huge smile formed on my face which was probably noticeable through my veil. I wished I could tease him about it but I felt sorry for him when the signs of embarrassment started to become clearer. Lexie kept on praising his voice and asked questions about what he had recited while the others answered.
I kept on sneaking glances at him because it wasn't every day you caught Sour Susan embarrassed and shy.
Oooh!!! The strong urge to take pictures and show them to him the next time he tried acting like a big boss made my hands itch and I tried to control my laughter sitting there on the prayer mat.
"Alright. Let's end the Q and A session here, Lexie." I jumped in amidst the loud conversation just because Jaber's slowly reddening face made me end his misery. "What are we going to do about Sumayya?" I popped the question that ended the topic immediately, silencing Usama before anyone else.
"Yeah. Sir Jaber, are we going to send her tonight or tomorrow?" He asked.
Jaber cleared his throat and shook his head while I still smiled at the sight of him blushing in embarrassment not a second ago. "Tonight they would be looking all over for us. It's not safe. Right after Fajr, we'll call the Nuristani merchants we talked to the other day and send Sumayya in disguise with their group. We will head out after her three hours later and keep an eye for attackers at the border."
The discussion ended there and we all retired to our rooms. I volunteered to sleep with Lexie on the ground mattress and let Camari and Sumayya sleep on the single bed. Camari, because she wasn't used to hard floors, and Sumayya because she had to embark on a death journey the next day. I could give her a comfortable night's sleep, at least.
"If the situation wasn't so grim, we would have had so much fun together tonight. I had always dreamed of a sleepover in Kazefaandria with my friends." I told Lexie who was lying down hardly a meter away. Under the silver moonlight emitting from the window, I could see her smile.
"I imagined going to the pool with Lx18, Junior, and Lx45. Though that buzz kill Lx45 would've totally ruined it for us." She giggled. I laughed along, knowing what she meant. "I feel the same way about buzz kills and Lx45 sure seems like one."
"An experienced one too because he's older than us."
We laughed. "True."
Lexie then turned on her left side to face me. I got a little startled seeing another me looking directly at myself with mischievous eyes and a smirk. "So, what's this about Broad Shoulders, huh?" She asked cleverly, making me blush at once.
"I can't believe you had to hear that," I whispered, drowning in my own stupidity and covering my face with my hands. Lexie laughed. "Girl, don't worry. I won't judge your nicknaming abilities. Personally, I've also found myself liking broad men. I mean, they should be strong, right?" That made me look back at her. "Right! You so get me!"
After a long time, I found myself grateful to have a living, walking, talking duplicate of me.
At least, she understood me!
"Of course I do. One of the main reasons I admire Lx2 so much is because of his hugeness." She admitted with a sheepish look as if it was a big confession. I nodded. "Do you love him?"
I didn't know why that question escaped me out of the blue but I didn't regret doing so.
Lexie frowned. "Uhm, love? You mean, we like each other? Yeah, I like everyone. We're good friends too but above all, he's my mentor. I really respect him."
I looked at her weirdly. "Wait... do you even know what love means?"
She shrugged. "When you really like something. Like, I love spending time with you." I smiled for a minute, wanting to hug her. "Aww, that's so sweet. But, I mean romantically loving someone. Like having a crush or finding someone of the opposite gender very attractive."
She looked clueless, making me continue. "Wanting to spend the rest of your lives together? Having children–little humans? Building a home?" She shook her head at every question which made me feel frustrated. "Oh, my Allah, Lexie. You don't know what love is!"
"I really don't. But... how do you make little humans? Do you grow them in labs? That's impressive."
I stared at her in utter disbelief, never knowing that I would have to explain human reproduction to a grown woman. In her defense, she had been alive for a short time and never had the chance to learn about normal human interactions. It made me feel sorry for her too. Like, imagine accepting the fact that you were on your own for your whole life, with no husband and no kids.
I shuddered at the thought.
"There is so much you need to know, Lexie. And it feels almost illegal that I'm the one who's going to tell you." I said. She looked back at me with newfound interest and eagerness. "I'm all up for new exciting information, every second of the day. Try me."
Long story short, we didn't sleep the whole night. By the time for Fajr, Lexie had been exposed to a whole new world of romance and love. She looked horrified to know how much she didn't know but admitted that she had felt like that about Lx2.
Taking over her thoughts for the whole day, making her heart flutter with one smile, and feeling weird in her stomach when he got close, were all symptoms of the highly chronic illness, love.
Feeling attracted to Jaber made it feel right after listening to Lexie. Maybe, both of us were destined to fall in love with two Broad shoulders, one being a bigger jerk than the other but still the same in many ways. They say matches are made in heaven. Ours felt like a completely wrong mistake.
But Allah didn't make mistakes, right?
....
"Allah Hafiz, Sumayya! May Allah keep you in His protection. May He give you success in this mission!" I hugged her even though she looked quite confident. It felt strange to get so close to her but she eagerly accepted the gesture.
"Ameen. Ameen. Thank you, Amaani." She smiled once I broke the loose hug. I smiled back, knowing that even if I wasn't a big fan of hers for tricking me into believing I was a murderer, it was not the time. I didn't want her to die.
Again.
"We're going to be right after her, Miss Sohail. She isn't alone." Usama reassured me but it looked like he was saying it to himself rather than me. We all bid our goodbyes, Jaber being the least expressive one. But, when the crowd had dispersed, I saw him mouthing different prayers and blowing them on her.
My heart skipped a beat.
He really did love Sumayya like a sister, like Usama said.
While Jaber and Sufiyaan talked to the Nuristani merchants, I approached Sumayya who was standing a little far away, watching the whole scene. "Assalam U Alaikum," I shook her out of her thoughts and she got startled. "Oh, Waalaykum Salaam! You scared me." She pushed back a rebellious brown strand that fell on her face and set the thin scarf she had wrapped loosely around her head. She wore a long cloak that almost made her look like a man.
She was well geared as I saw her securing some hidden knives and a gun inside the cloak with straps earlier. She had also hidden a small dagger in her socks, something I always did too. Especially after the countless times I was kidnapped or attacked.
"Sorry, but I have a surprise for you." I winked at her, making her frown in confusion. "What surprise?"
I knowingly closed my eyes and took her arm. "Since the newlywed couple couldn't get any moments alone in the presence of Mr. Jaber, I thought they deserved the chance of saying their goodbyes one final time. In private." I whispered the last part and with every word I uttered, her siren eyes widened into two big balls.
"C-couple?" She stuttered, fearing that their cover had been blown but relaxed when I explained myself. "Don't worry. Usama told me about your Nikah. And even though it's not the best time for this, congratulations. And your groom is waiting for you inside the inn in the second hallway. Consider it a wedding gift from Moi."
Sumayya was about to protest, possibly even deny everything but she paused. A small smile covered her face and she shyly nodded. "That was almost the deadliest fright I ever had but, thank you."
After an exchange of good words, I led her inside and stopped at the stairs going to the second-floor hallway. Satisfied with myself that I had done something good, I walked back to my room to use the bathroom.
Hardly five minutes later when I returned to the crowd outside the inn, I walked towards Sufiyaan. "I can't believe Sumayya's going to free Saira and the others." He commented, noticing my presence. The look in his eyes showed me that he was very worried. I patted his back comfortingly before throwing a gentle look at him.
"Worried, right? Just pray to Allah."
He looked at me once and then back to the two vans in front, one loaded with packed luggage and some tough-looking men and the other with a few women and the driver.
"I'm scared that when she reaches, the damage would have been done. Jaber couldn't get in contact with them last night. Who knows where they are right now?" I pursed my lips and nodded knowingly. "You're right, Sufiyaan. But don't lose hope. Remember, hopelessness is Kufr (disbelieving)."
He sighed. "Yes. You're right."
I looked around us, trying to spot the others and wondering how much longer Usama and Sumayya were going to take to say goodbye. Until–
My heart shot to my throat and I almost jumped. "Sufiyaan!" I practically yelled his name, causing him to snap out of his depression and switch his brotherly protective personality on. "What happened?" He asked quickly but I countered his question with another much more important one. "Where's Jaber?"
My heart was about to explode as I realized three crucial people were missing. Sumayya, Usama, and JABER! The perfect recipe for destruction.
"He went in to look for Sumayya–" I didn't let my clueless cousin finish and dashed inside to find Jaber, praying frantically that he was miles away from them.
I had one thing to do. ONE thing and I mess it up.
Usama had decided that he would tell Jaber on the way to the Nuristani community so that he would be too worried about Sumayya to get mad at them. I never knew that that general would sniff out the suspicious business from so far away and uncover the mystery so soon.
Panting, I reached the stairs and sure enough saw Jaber listening to the conversation between Sumayya and Usama. He had his fists tightened and his jaw clenched as he patiently watched.
That was not a good sign.
"I'll really miss you, Usama. I'm always afraid Jaber will take you on another mission with him and leave me all alone again. I'm not happy with this arrangement."
Sumayya had her hands on his chest and looked at the collar of his shirt as she spoke sadly. I could see wetness in her eyes and suddenly felt sorry for her.
Usama just smiled, letting out a hand and wrapping it around her waist. He pulled her closer to him and gently pecked her forehead. "This will end soon. I promise I won't let you go again. I can't stand this distance between us either, Zawjati."
I swooned at such a scene, forgetting that Jaber was there too and not loving it. For some reason, his fist had loosened and he looked comparatively less angry. I stayed hidden behind him until finally, he walked out into the front and I knew it was the moment of confrontation.
"When did she become your wife, Usama?"
His voice sounded like thunder when Usama and Sumayya quickly turned to look at him. "Jaber?" Usama froze while Sumayya backed away from him. She took a few steps towards Jaber, being the braver one. "It's true, Jaber. We had our Nikah. We're husband and wife."
Jaber folded his arms and I got out of hiding too, although my presence didn't really break their intense stare contest. "When?" He repeated, dangerously calm, and looked at Usama again.
"In Nuristan. Before the migration. Uncle Amir was my Wali and got us officially married." She responded again. Jaber perked up at the name of his uncle and it seemed like that was more of a trigger point than the whole marriage thing. "Uncle Amir? Seriously? You know that man isn't trustworthy!"
"You knew that too, Usama, didn't you? And you still went ahead with it?"
Usama nodded, finally snapping out of his state. "Yes, Jaber. But he convinced us that it was the wiser thing to do. He was also Sumayya's real wali since her father died. And honestly... I don't regret my decision." As Usama continued, his voice gained more confidence. He looked Jaber directly in the eye and spoke.
"We wanted to tell you but you were so busy with the police headquarters set up. Then these mysterious deaths started happening. I had no clue when to break it to you."
Jaber got quiet. He looked angry and betrayed but he contained himself. I saw his arm veins popping out because of closing his fists so tightly. "So you were married all this time and didn't tell me? I know I'm not your real brother, Sumayya but your father left you as my responsibility. He knew Uncle Amir was not a good man."
"But, he's still our uncle! He may have some shady businesses but he loves us. And he didn't harm me by marrying me off. You couldn't take the responsibility of doing it, Jaber. At least he did." Sumayya replied dramatically.
Jaber scowled, throwing deadly glances at her. "Just...go." He fought to say. "Both of you. The mission is more important than our flimsy arguments. We can continue this later. The merchants are waiting." He ended, waiting for them to leave. I felt a bit relieved that the confrontation wasn't as disastrous as I had expected.
I could see Jaber had accepted it and though he was unhappy about it, he knew it had been done. And they hadn't committed any sin so it was never justified to hold them accountable for it in the first place.
Sumayya huffed and stormed away while Usama slowly followed. Walking towards the stairs, he shot me pleading looks, pointing at Jaber and mouthing a "Please take care of it," as he did. I nodded assuredly but as soon as he left, I looked back at a fuming Jaber and felt completely blank.
"Honestly..." I started, remembering my promise to Usama.
"You knew about this too, didn't you?" He didn't look at me but caught me off guard with his words. I sighed and nodded. "Yes, I did."
"And didn't tell me on purpose. And why would you? I kept something from you and just gave me a taste of my own medicine." His voice was low and I could sense that he was offended. But, what he said offended me more. "I didn't do it on purpose! Yes, I was angry but I don't think the way you do, Mr. Jaber! I wanted this to stay between you guys."
I couldn't believe I was explaining myself to him.
But Jaber finally looked at me in response. His permanent scowl still sitting on his face and now, directed at me. "Miss Sohail, I'm the one running this team and I look at hiding things from me as betrayal."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Would've been better if you followed your own advice." I couldn't help but mutter under my breath. He raised an eyebrow at me, challenging me to repeat myself. I looked behind me and then back to him, knowing I had to deal with this no matter what.
No one was coming to save me.
"What's the problem when you have already approved their match? Isn't it a good thing they made it halal and got together the right way?" I said with confidence.
His dark eyes shifted from the stairs to me. "I'm not angry about that. It's Uncle Amir. That man can never be trusted."
I got quiet at that but mustered another response.
"What's done is done. They deserve to be happy. Can't you give them the chance to have these limited moments of joy? Sumayya is already going on this mission and we don't even know what hurdles she might face. I think it's unfair to be angry at her for doing something that is her right and is justified." I folded my arms over my chest and scowled slightly.
"You don't know anything, Miss Sohail. Something like this isn't a problem for Sumayya. She's a trained fighter and I have never given her a task she couldn't do. Getting married and keeping it a secret from me is not justified. I'm the one who has provided her with a comfortable and safe life. She owes me the authority to make decisions for her or at least include me in them."
I did a double-take at his words.
"But she isn't your real sister! You can't force your decisions on her. Besides, Islamically her uncle has a greater right to get her married! You aren't being fair."
"Life isn't fair! Sometimes we have to make tough choices to stay alive and benefit ourselves!" His voice boomed and I was shaken by the sudden reaction. I shrunk into myself and involuntarily took a step back. As soon as he noticed my widened eyes, his expression softened and his shoulders relaxed.
"I'm sorry, Miss Sohail but you can't judge the situation without knowing the whole story."
I took a deep breath to calm my pounding heart, feeling like I had just saved myself from a terrible fate. I regained my posture and looked up with a glare. A look of guilt flashed across his face and his previously dark eyes lightened as he stared back at me, waiting for a reply and trying to find any trace of fear on my veil-laden face.
"Stop being a buzzkill and be happy for her! Seriously, aren't you glad that your sister married your most trusted friend? They even like each other and it can't get better than this! Stop acting like an egoistic toddler!"
He blinked in surprise.
"Huh?"
I folded my arms over my chest again and held my nose high in the air. "That's right, Mr. Jaber! You're a sour Susan who's just mad because you haven't gotten married yourself! You're a bully and you do it so no one questions you! You can give whatever pathetic excuse you want about deceiving me and Sufiyaan but I'm not going to leave without an apology today! Sumayya and Usama aren't the problem and neither is Uncle Amir, it's you who needs to admit when you're wrong and take accountability for your actions!"
I ended with a heavy breath, ridding myself of all the thoughts I had cooped up inside my brain. It felt like a big burden had been lifted off my shoulders and despite having provoked the beast in front of me, I was weirdly relieved.
Maybe it was high time he signed my persecution papers. Just in case, I said the Shahadah (Islamic testimony) under my breath. Fortunately, that added to my boldness and I kept looking at him, not breaking eye contact to exert my dominance. Though my legs were shaking, I stayed firm even when he looked back at me blankly.
Then he lowered his gaze and put a hand over his mouth that I couldn't see. Slowly, his shoulders began to shake and I could hear him laugh faintly. My eyes turned into two big footballs and my jaw dropped in disbelief.
Seriously?!
That's his response?!
His chuckle loudened and he looked back up at me. For a second, I froze. It was one of those times he showed his genuine smiles and even if it was supposed to anger me, I didn't know how or what to say.
"I'm sorry, Miss Sohail but I can't help myself." He said once his little moment of laughter ended. I broke eye contact and faced the other way, trying to find a distraction to divert myself from feeling even more awkward than the time he had to carry me during the robot attack.
"But you're not being fair either." He cleared his throat and stated, readjusting his posture. I frowned.
"I'll admit I was wrong. I was the one who forced you into the matters of the police when it didn't concern you. I was wrong for lying to you, tricking you, sending you to deathly missions, and being unable to protect you. But..." he took a deep breath. "But, I couldn't tell you. I couldn't take the risk of letting you know that I had no real case to keep you on the team."
I bit my bottom lip, fidgeting with my fingers. He wasn't done and I could hear his loud heartbeat from the distance between us. I couldn't bring myself to look at him and held my breath so I could not miss a single word he was about to say next.
"I couldn't let you go, Amaani."
"I wanted you to stay."